10.23.2015

Spiced Upside-Down Plum Cake

Sometimes I bake cakes without any intention of publishing the recipe here. I just do it because I love to bake. But when people taste or see pictures, then they start asking for recipes and that’s when I know I need to post it (you would think I should know better by now, right?). Everyone I gave a piece of this cake fell in love with it so here I am, sharing another must-try recipe.

There is nothing more warming than to walk in your home and be welcomed by those distinctive fall aromas. Let this delicious seasonal cake perfume your home and in the process, make people happy. Enjoy this cake with whipped cream or Crème fraîche and a hot cup of coffee or tea!

Ingredients:

For the topping:

1 cup light brown sugar

1 stick of butter (4oz)

4 plums, half

For the cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon cardamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

To make the caramel and plums place the butter and sugar in a skillet, whisk to combine and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly which should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the caramel over a 10"x 3" round cake pan, arrange the plums on top, be very careful as the caramel is super hot. You can even wait a few minutes to let it cool down. Arrange the plums (cut side down) on top of the caramel and let it cool before adding the cake batter.

Preheat the oven 350˚F. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients just to blend. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and blend on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk to blend the milk, vanilla and eggs. On medium speed, slowly add half of the liquid to the dry ingredients and blend well, slowly add the other half and mix until well combined. Turn the speed up and mix for 30 seconds or until batter is smooth but don't over blend!. Pour the batter over the caramel and plums and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

Note: You can bake this cake in a 9" x 3" round cake pan, it will be a little tight but I've done it and it come out perfect.